Future Hits 071: Bleeding Oath

Thrash Hits verdict: These guys are probably years away from the finished article, but the raw potential of black metal atmospherics and prog jazziness are there. Maybe that’s why they are one of the bands in the running to support Evile at the London show of their upcoming February tour.

How did you meet?
Harrison and I were in the same music class at college. Ben and Micah were both found with joinmyband.co.uk!

What made you want to start a band?
It started pretty much at the same time I discovered metal, and thus also wanted to learn guitar. Which was, would you believe it, after seeing the music video for Dragonforce’s Through the Fire and Flames! I decided at once that Herman Li was an intensely cool human being, who I should try to emulate in every way. I do not currently hold this view.

Where did the name come from?
It was decided by the ex-bassist of the band, because it “Sounded cool”. Yeah, I wish there was a more interesting reason too.

What are your musical influences?
Most people seem to say that we sound most like Opeth. I just write whatever sounds good to me, even if it involves throwing a saxophone solo into the middle of a song. Lately, i’ve been looking to take more influence from Cynic and Between the Buried And Me.

So far, what has been the best thing about being in a band?
Being able to say “I’m in a band”. That never goes down badly, and is a guaranteed conversation starter (not that I particularly enjoy starting conversations).

With which band would your dream tour be?
Cynic or Opeth would be very lovely indeed.

What bands do you consider as part of your scene or as your peers?
There’s a nice little london extreme metal circuit, featuring bands like Phyrexia and Reaping Havoc. Listen to them!

What’s the best or funniest show you’ve played?
We once did a gig at the Horn in Romford, where I introduced Blinded by Light as “a song about shells”, and played a Gypsy Jazz intro to it.

What have you got planned for the future? Album? Touring?
Well, at the moment we’re working on rehearsing our new material, and once we’ve got that sorted we’ll start looking for more gigs. We’re also getting t-shirts made, so contact us if you want one! And stay tuned for info on releases…